Mario Theissen intends to propose that Friday morning practice in future be
reserved for reserve and test drivers.
The BMW-Sauber team boss laments that a side effect of the almost total ban
on testing has resulted in the near-death of the role as a dedicated
'third' driver.
"It was overlooked," the German is quoted as telling the New York Times,
referring to the fact that it is still a requirement for teams to have on
standby a driver able to replace at short notice their nominated race
drivers.
But, because test drivers are now becoming so out of practice, Theissen
rhetorically asks: "How can you rely on him jumping in the car? It is a
safety issue."
Theissen is also concerned that stamping down so hard on F1 testing is
making it hard for new drivers to come into the sport.
For instance, Ross Brawn admits that he chose veteran Rubens Barrichello
for 2009 over the Brazilian's rookie countryman Bruno Senna because
"there was no testing available".
That is why Theissen is contemplating the 'Friday morning' solution, thus
effectively reviving the way in which BMW kick-started the careers of
Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica.
The proposal would also ensure that being a third driver is again a
valuable and respected role, with arguably the sport's most esteemed test
driver Alex Wurz acknowledging that the industry is currently "dead".
